Telephony

Hands down two of the most powerful business tools for Mac OS X are Parliant's PhoneValet and PhoneHerald. PhoneValet turns a Mac into a powerful phone system, complete with voice mail, on-screen call notifications, phone trees and rules that can be used to divert calls or offer custom messages based on caller ID information or call time. PhoneValet can also log and/or record calls for you -- an especially useful tool if you offer any type of support services. Whether your company has one or two separate phone lines or a PBX-scale phone system, PhoneValet makes it easy to create a professional setup for incoming calls. Its companion, PhoneHerald, leverages Mac OS X's text-to-speech technology to allow companies to automate the process of making outbound calls for tasks such as confirming appointments or notifying people about changes or cancellations of meetings or events.

There are, of course, many more applications available that would be of use to companies large and small. But for smaller firms, the plethora of programs available -- coupled with the reliability and overall ease-of-use of the Mac OS X platform -- makes for a potent, and potentially winning, combination.

Ryan Faas is a freelance writer and IT consultant specializing in Mac and multiplatform network design and troubleshooting. He is the co-author of Essential Mac OS X Panther Server Administration and the author of Troubleshooting, Maintaining, and Repairing Macs. For more information, visit RyanFaas.com.